I was diagnosed with MRSA when I was 15. I turn 16 last month… I reallize I am not the most healthiest person in the world and at the time I played it off like it wasn’t a big deal and that I can live a normal life… But I am scared to death… All I want to know is will I die? I am slightly “Big” but I take hot showers. I was told by the docter that bleach baths will help me. Is this true? And again will I die? I really am scared

don’t have a freak out. I have an iron deficiency that does a number on my immune system. when I got mersa last year I was just like you but 42 with three kids. when I went to the hosp for the iron thing they told me to chill about the mersa. 1 in 3 hospital personnel have it. its not going to kill you. just take care of yourself.

I was diagnosed with MRSA in my nose. Can I have sex with the same sex. My friend has blisters now on her arm but I did ask the doctor about passing it to my partner. He did not say she could catch it from me. Do you think the bacteria has spread to my private area. I am worried about sitting next to people or touching other people now. I just feel like everytime someone gets sick, I may be the cause.

Any form of naked intimacy does increase the risk of MRSA transmission. So there is a risk with you and your partner. When clothed however the risk almost completely relates to your hands. Good personal handwashing habits will make you a low risk as a spreader.

I had MRSA in my arm. Its been almost a year. My arm has started hurting again and I am feeling bumps near the place where they have cut my arm to get the Mrsa out of my arm, there are no pimple looking or puss,,, just wondering if that is normal or should I go back to the ER and get this checked out..

Hello, my doctor says I’ve been infected with Mrsa. It happened when I got my tattoo. I got a few boils and a swollen area then was put on antibiotics and it seemed to be gone then I got a very little one and is swollen. I’ve never been sick or a fever from this Ijust get these bumps on me. I’m scared I hope I don’t die. It started about a month ago

i had a really bad staph infection in fact it was so bad they thought i had mrsa but they weren’t sure the gave me 6 shots 2 in my arm muscles 2 in my leg and 2 on my butt they hurt for weeks they ran tests and it was just that i had had them for months the only reason i even came to the doctor was because my legs flared up and the hurt with even the slightest touch one of my sisters pushed me off of a swing chair and i screamed bloody murder cause it hert so bad i had 5 infected centers but they all connected they were all on my left thigh and eventually the went away i was told to take very hot baths to get the puss out and after 2 months i was cured not fully i still have a high risk for more

i had a really bad staph infection in fact it was so bad they thought i had mrsa but they weren’t sure the gave me 6 shots 2 in my arm muscles 2 in my leg and 2 on my butt they hurt for weeks they ran tests and it was just that i had had them for months the only reason i even came to the doctor was because my legs flared up and the hurt with even the slightest touch one of my sisters pushed me off of a swing chair and i screamed bloody murder cause it hert so bad i had 5 infected centers but they all connected they were all on my left thigh and eventually the went away i was told to take very hot baths to get the puss out and after 2 months i was cured noy fully i still have a high risk for more

thank you very very much. I believe I have a staph infection and have an appointment to see my doctor tomorrow. I have been searching for a few hours to see if I should be worried about not making it through the night and go to the ER. Yours is the first site I’ve found to give clear answers. Thank you again

I was diagnosed with Mrsa two weeks ago after having a boil lanced off my leg. now i have tiny hole in my leg. I just finished my 10 days of bactrim today. i have no other “symptoms”. no fever. i feel okay. but the hole wont go away. it’s not healing. i have no medical problems except extreme stress and lack of sleep. i’m very worried my two year old will catch this. I am 42. I am positive I got this in the hospital when they were doing all sorts of invasive testing for anemia. No other infections anywhere. I thought it was an ingrown hair. I also have the bactroban for the topical cream. i waited weeks to have it lanced. No clue it was mrsa. none. I went to hopsital last week and they kind of treated it like it was no big deal. Meanwhile i’m concerned this is fatal for myself and my son. Is it?

It is very rare for it to be fatal in a fairly healthy person like yourself. Many skin infections heal after incision and drainage. Keep an eye on the wound. It may take a while to heal but seek medical care if it becomes inflamed again.

You and your family are at risk, it would be unhelpful to pretend otherwise. But it is fairly low. Be cautious, wash your hands regularly to help cut the transmission chain but assume that you are getting better.

The wound is healing nicely. though it seems to be taking forever its finally scabbing over and not itchy. I bough the hibecilin hand wipes what work for six hours. i wash my hands constantly. I have no fever. I feel much better. but the fear is just never ending. did i mention i take meds for anxiety? This not helping!!! the hospital said i’d be fine but you read such horror stories on line. No one else in family infected. I bleach the bathroom almost every other day and i know i got this from an endoscopy at the hospital. I am a very very healthy woman so i hope you are right. My md at the second hospital said he never would have given me bactrim at the early stage. he said it would have cleared up without it. but i do have the bactraban topical and it seems to be working after stinging like crazy for three days. i hear it can take up to a month to heal after drainage. is that true? i dont want to freak out and go back to md if not necessary.

I have good blood results,I have hept c and chronic kidney disease and they found mrsa in an abcess within body near cliver and abdomen ,I’ve been on vancomycin for 1 week and 2 weeks left they said it is tiny sbcess now so i want you to tell me should i be worried??

i have a friend in hospital supposed to be coming home with no chance of living myself and another she wants to stay till she dies are we in extra danger of bein infected? or other in our complex catching the infection people here are very worried about this i have an aide that is also very worried about working for me any help will be grately appreciated thank you

my father was in hosptial as he was diagnosed with a liver disease, we did think he was very poorly s he had not eaten for months , he went into hospital and after 3 weeks and eventually we were told he was coming home. unfortunately we were told he had an infection and they were trying some different anti biotics and the next 24 hours would be when we would now if they work. we were then told he had only days to live, i still dont know what this infection was. mrsa maybe?

My friend has diabetes and has been told he has infected cellulitis ive checked out the internet and it loks more like the staph infection he had c-diff a few months ago can this be the cause of the staph infectiin any help would be appreciated i have a pic of the infection if that woul help thanks

I have had a few infections on my skin after getting bug bites I have had to go to the hospital for iv antibiotics to get better twice. I want to know if there is anything that i can do to get rid of this mrsa for good so that i do not continue to get this infection each time i get a bug bite it seems quite rediculous.

Hibiclens skin washes may help. in some cases you may be able to ask for nasal decolonization. But there is a high risk that you will get reinfected again via a third party such as family members, social contacts or pets. They can all be carriers without having infections.

My boyfriend has MERSA and I am afraid that I may have it. We have also had unprotected sexual intercourse while we didn’t know that he was infected. His infection seems to be getting worse, although he is on three different anti-biotics. His wounds are very bad; they’re red, and leaking. I am beginning to have some symptoms too, but am not sure they are from the MERSA infection. My skin gets itchy in different spots. There are also little bumps here and there… Please, help me. I am terrified. I’m only seventeen.

You may be a carrier but this does not mean you will become infected. Also about 30% of people may never be carriers because other bacteria fend off the mrsa. Others are carriers for a long time but only vulnerable when they have other skin issues that the bacteria can infect. Some are carriers for a while and then shed the bacteria. Even if you get an infection it may not be as bad as your boyfriend. Some infections clear without an antibiotic. Unless your boyfriend is on vancomycin already there are other drugs that will help clear his infection.

You are at risk but it is moderate not severe. Don’t be terrified – you are unlikely to have a bad infection

Just found out I may have MRSA ~ they didn’t culture it yet though. I went to the Dr. thinking I had a spider bite on my stomach. Needless to say, that’s not what it was. They lanced it. Put me on Doxxicycle (don’t have bottle here and am terrible at pronouncing antibiotic names). After 3 100mg pills, the redness spread and they added cephalexin 500mg to it (after hour clinic by phone) and told me to go to my doctor next morning. I had no fever at all. I went to the dr. today and she told me to only take the Cephalexin 3X a day and then prescribed an ointment to use 3X a day. She said the ointment is to treat MRSA. I don’t have the name of that right now, have to pick it up in a bit. Can you tell if it’s MRSA without doing a culture? I have to go back to the Dr. on Monday, too. I used to handle money on a daily basis at a C-store I managed, is it possible to contract it that way too? Plus I had back surgery 7 1/2 years ago, dentures 5 years ago…. I’m kind of going crazy. Can you shed some light?
Thank you!

They should be doing a culture to confirm the exact strain of your mrsa as this has a bearing on you medication. But they will often be right in their visual assessment and will be aware of dominant local strains. You can get MRSA in just about any high touch environment (money, light switches, door knobs) but via the hands of other is the most common. You may have been carrying it for hours or years.

i got an abscess, cyst, staph or whatever ya want to call it cut open at the ER. i had it for years but it got real bad that week so i had to go. thay cut it gave me some pills and told me it would go away but it never did. now it drains all the time so in a way its a good thing cuz it dont swell up and hert but i get blood and puss on my cloths all the time what can i do to stop this? ps it itches like a Muther F*****

Just received a call from my doctor, the testing came back positive; I have MRSA. I picked up my prescription and have started it. My doctor is unable to see me until next week, but says call with any emergencies. Is there anything I should be looking for or worried about?

i have twin boys that have mrsa and i have it as well. it is very contagious. you have to make sure you use proper hygene and clean your hands more than a normal person would. exspeacle after touching the boils or abcesses on the skin. weve been told to take bleach water baths. its a quarter cup of bleach for every quarter the tub is filled. staph of mrsa lives on the skin and in the nose. so if you use neosporine in the nose and take bleach baths and warm comprises on the sores to help bring the puse up is the only way to really fight the diases. for my little one if the abcesses are red for a couple of days we go see the doctor of meds. you can pick up the bactira any where it is no longer just in hospitals. so be sure to wash your hands alot and take a shower every day and never reuse towels. also bleach all towels used and wash clothes and sheets daily with hot water. we were also told to never wear clothes more than once. mrsa can be very deadly but it can also be managed with lots of cleaning and good hygene.

i am at hospital and in extreme pain doctors are sure its mrca waiting 4 results holding me over nite now i have multi carbuncle type absesses others smalller then others . my dog has bumps on his body/coinsidence maybee i work as a mover contacting peoples crap, finally girlfriend with sore nose never tellsme she has merca, then she tells me i got it cuz i was unclean ,just cuz i dont were deoterant.now im ok but still in pain one big one is on the center of the buttocks looks like the biggest one yet.the cut those things and they really hurt now i feel so weak and not hungry just giving some more data for ya’ll

unfortunately for me i didnt know i had anything wrong with me. i thought i just had gotten a rug burn and it was healing itself. i noticed that it oozed random junk often but i just thought that was part of the healing process. Little did i know that it would take over my life. I started to have severe pain in my knee and it got worse and worse as the days went by. everyone kept saying i had just done something at volleyball but i didnt know that everyday i waited to do something about it i came closer to death. it started to swell and by the third day of severe swelling my dad convinced my mom he had to take me to the hospital becuase i dont cry and thats all i had done the last 3 days. they immediately took samples of the fluid in my knee and when taking my vitals found that i had a 102.5 fever. they said if the white blood cell count was larger than 50,000 they would have to operate at that point i had only 45,000 in the fluid drawn. 6 hours later they took samples again and found that my white count was at 130,000 and once blood samples came back they found that the infection had hit my blood stream and was taking over. i was rushed into surgery. with many IVs and around the clock medication and care 2 days later they found that my knee was still draining too much flood. They did surgery to drain it again. thankfully this time it worked. i spent 9 days in the icu at the childrens hospital. I had to have a PICC line for 6 weeks and was on crutches for 3. Just my luck my birthday was 2 days after i got out of the hospital. Finally my life is getting back to normal, but its been 2 months. it turns out that MRSA got in my knee through the rug burn but the infection had planted itself in my other knee. it had infected the bone and thats where the severe pain was coming from. they told me that MRSA would have killed me within 32hours if i hadnt had gone to the hospital. i had the infection in my body for 8 days before i went to the hospital. im very lucky that I went when i did and got the care i needed. I’m here to say you need to be careful with every little cut you get and dont hesitate to go to the hosiptal. the longer you wait the more damage is done. they said my case was one of the more severe ones but dont hesitate to say something is wrong. i hope no one has to deal with what i have. missing 16 days of highschool felt like an eternity. i got back to school and it seemed all my classes were speaking another language i was that far behind. i hope everyone can learn from instances like mine and not have an ordeal like mine.

I had an infection on the inside of the front of my nose and it moved all the way through to the outside of my nostril about a month ago. I didn’t think much of it except it was painful. I thought it was just an infected zit or something and never went to the doctor. Now a month later, I have another infection in my armpit. On the exterior it looks like a zit but I can put my fingers around a huge mass underneath it. It has not come to a head yet. I did go to the doctor for this and suggested it could be MRSA just because I had heard of that before. He agreed it could be and put me on Cephalexin and Sulfameth/Trimethoprim. I am an avid hand washer and don’t share towels except hand towels. But, this may sound gross, I have an OCD tendency to pick at a scab-like thing in my nose because it bothers me so much. I can’t seem to stop and just leave it alone. Does this sound like it could be MRSA to you? My doctor didn’t say I should get it swabbed and tested. I started going to the gym 6 months ago and swim three times a week and then get in the hot tub for quite a while. I don’t use the other equipment. Could I have gotten it from the pool or hot tub? What should I do if that is possible? Thanks in advance for your help.

You need to get your arm and nose infection cultured and tested. It’s the only way to really know. You will also need to not worry at the wound. MRSA is often ‘passive’ when it is simply on your skin. If you keep re-opening the wound you give it multiple chances of reinfection.

Ok, my tests for mrsa havent come back yet, but my doctor is about 99% sure that i do have it. She said that i will probably have to be hospitalized, and I will probably miss high school cheerleading tryouts for my freshman year.

2-wk old grandchild with micrognathia and had mandibular distraction5 days ago. Today was told she has MRSA. What are her chances of survival and/or complications? In NICU and was told she will be there 4-6 weeks before the MRSA diagnosis. Normal birth wt. and appears heathy otherwise.

My 5 year old was diagnosed wits mrsa and have like 10 lil bumps we just started treatment but when the bumps go to come to a head a suppose you call it she passes out it almost seems like she is going into a seizure is that normal…or should I be worried

I have just recently started a housekeeping position at a hospital and would like to know if you have any suggestions for cleaning. Is it true that a mrsa patient could possibly be actually a c-diff patient that has not yet been diagnosed, and if so, should mrsa rooms be cleaned in the same manner as c-diff? If I had my way, I would anyway. I have only been able to clean half as many rooms a night as my co-workers no matter how hard and fast I work and wonder why? Seems like rooms are rushed through (esp on a busy night when 14 patients are waiting for rooms)and corners are cut too much and wonder if this is a problem, or if I’ve always been too much of a germ freak. Are there certain protocol and proceedures for hospital cleaning and if so, why am I told to “use your own judgement” when obviously not everybody has the same judgement and is as concientious as maybe they should be. This is a job that doesn’t require an education, but wonder if there should be some requirements to being more educated about infection control in a hospital setting (which I would believe should be more thorough than what I do at home, or as maintenance at mcdonalds!)esp for those of us who dont even think that hand washing is important!

MRSA and C Diff are different infections – the antibiotics used to treat MRSA can sometimes cause C Diff. C Diff is a much tougher ‘spore’ than the MRSA bacteria. MRSA is most often found in high contact areas around a patients bed or on hopsital workplace computers. C Diff will be a particular problem in the toilets. So different cleaning regimes will be needed. You should have had an infection control briefing and many hospitals do have cleaning protocols – although these are not usually found online.

Hand washing by all staff before and after patient contact is the best way to cut infection as however good the surface cleaning is it will never be perfect. Someone can pollute the spot you cleaned 10 mins after you cleaned it

ok so my boyfriend has mrsa. he hasnt had an outbreak for 8 months. can i still get mrsa thru sexual intercourse if he has not had an outbreak? im 18 and my family are extremely worried that i might mess my life up if i get this.

The MRSA bacteria will often lie dormant in the nose, armpit and groin area. The nose tends to be the problem as good hygiene and the use of Hibiclens can often remove it from the skin. But if it’s still in the nose it will return to the skin and when you’re intimate it could be shed onto your from his nose or skin. It is possible to have a decolonising treatment in the nose – he may want to ask his medical provider about MRSA nasal creams. Having MRSA on your skin or nose does not mean that you will be come ill, it just makes it more likely

I have had MRSA in my femur since the beginning of June, 2010, so another words I have had it for 5 months. The infection began in the upper portion of the inside of my femur (next to my groin). Initially I had surgery to remove the infection, however the doctor soon realized the infection had eaten a hole through my femur. As he began scraping the infection off of my femur, the bone began sluffing away. Since this initial surgery, I have had 6 surgeries as the infection has gone down my femur. My doctor has had to open up the knee cavity twice due to this infection now being in the lower portion of my femur. The infection has been on the outside of my lower femur and the inside of the lower femur. Currently, I only have a shell of a bone left on the inside of the lower end of my femur. The MRSA filled the complete inside portion of the inside of my femur to where my doctor had to carefully scrape out the infection and then fill the area full of cement. This has been done twice now in 3 weeks. The pain has been unimaginable!! Even epidurals have not worked or femural blocks. My doctor’s next move is to cut the end of my femur off, approximately 8″ or more. Next he will replace the area with a cement block and close. After 2-3 months, he will check to see if the infection is gone and he will then remove the cement block and replace it with metal and do a knee replacement at the same time. My question is, I’m currently on Daptomycin (as a second choice since the others failed) yet I keep having MRSA grow in my femur, just in different areas. How can this happen? How long can MRSA stay in the bone since it’s pretty much gone through every bit of my femur to where there’s really not much left of my bone. Since MRSA stays in your body, does that mean it will also stay in my bone (as well as my nose), etc? Will I always have this type of pain and swelling? I just can’t even explain how terrible the pain is. I’m now on 20 prescriptions per day to help with the infection and pain. I just want my leg and life to go back to how it used to be. As of now, I can not walk on my leg because again, there’s not very much of my femur left in my leg so doctor’s are afraid the bone will shatter. Therefore, I’m left using a walker and wheelchair. I can’t walk very long on the walker because my energy level depletes. Will I ever get my energy back? I know I’ve actually asked a lot of questions, but there’s just so many things happening to me that I don’t understand…..and now my doctor has said he doesn’t understand. He’s the only tumor doctor in the state so he’s treating me like he would one of his tumor patients. I need to know if I’m doing things correctly to remove the MRSA.

Some children can become MRSA carriers during the birth process or in the maternity ward. The bacteria often lodge in the nasal area and reaching the throat via the breathing system is possible. The bacteria then seize on any opportunity to infect an inflamed area which normally might heal of it’s own accord

i have these bumps mike bowles.i have been really sick can’t keep food down . i went to the doctor and doensn’t know for sure if it mrsa. iwas very dehydrated to 4 liters to get me somewhat better.i did start taking a antiboctic but can’t keep that down makes me sick. what can you advise. probably admit to hosp.

MY INFANT CHILD HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH MERSA.
SHE IS A PREMATURE BABY BORN AT 30 WEEKS 32 TODAY.
THEY ARE 4 MORE BABYS THAT HAS IT IN NICU.WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY BABY? THEY SAID SHE WAS A CARRIER SHE IS NOT SICK NOR HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS BUT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS A CARRIER.

It could mean that she simply remains a carrier. The staff are likely to try and decolonise her with skin washes and perhaps nasal cream. It makes her a little more vulnerable to complications but many children who are carriers in NICU leave with no further complications

Since I have been told that I have staff mrsa and being treated. I am so tired that I can only be out and hour to hour and half and then I have to go home, because I am so exhausted that I cannot walk and hurt all over. I will then sleep for 3+ hours, not much better when I wake up. Will this last for every?

The treatment will probably remove it from his skin and may remove it from his nose, where it tends to hide. About 1 in 3 people carry the easier to treat SA all the time and 1 in 10 have MRSA all the time. You can carry it for a long time without ill effect until it infects a wound or cut. It is usually only very dangerous when it complicates an existing condition